J 



crosses the causeway to Nags Heads and N.C. 

 158 west. 



Voliva says hauling seafood is a "steady job, 

 and you get 31 cents a mile when you go up, and 

 extra for anything you take back." 



For Voliva, who has been driving a truck 

 since 1 984, the route is familiar — from a cluster 

 of shopping centers in Kitty Hawk to the bumpy 

 ride over the Wright Memorial Bridge on 

 Currituck Sound. 



"I like driving a truck because you get to see 

 different things up and down the road," he says. "I 

 couldn't stand being couped up in an office." 



As Voliva heads through the Great Dismal 

 Swamp, the road narrows, and blackbirds flutter 

 over the water that looks like a bowl of green 

 pea soup. 



"When I see a swarm of blackbirds, it re- 

 minds me of what my grandfather always told me 

 — that cold weather was coming," says Voliva. 

 "My grandfather had a home on the Scuppernong 

 River and took me out fishing." 



PICKUP POINT 



The first stop is Quality Crab Company in 

 Elizabeth City, where the drivers pick up some 

 oysters. Then they head up the highway to 

 Virginia. After going over a one-lane bridge in Suf- 

 folk County, Va., Voliva turns into Wanchese Fish 

 Company's new state-of-the-art, 180,000-square- 

 foot facility, which has a large loading dock. 



At the plant, the drivers, along with Wan- 

 chese Fish Company president Joey Daniels, load 

 more seafood on the truck. 



After the Virginia stop, the drivers don't 

 pick up or deliver any seafood until they get to 

 New York. 



"We don't make any stops unless neces- 

 sary," says Voliva. "We try to get to the New York 

 market as early as we can. The busiest nights are 

 Sundays and Wednesdays because trucks come 

 up from Florida. On Sundays, sometimes we 

 leave at 7 a.m. out of Wanchese to be the first or 

 second in line." 



At the Virginia plant, Woolard takes over the 

 wheel. Voliva gets in the back, closes the curtains 

 and takes a snooze on the bunk. "We split up 



driving every three to five hours," says 

 Woolard. 



As the sky begins to turn ink black, 

 the drive becomes an endless stretch 

 of dark open fields through Virginia 

 and Maryland. Calls on the CB radio, 

 along with bathroom and fast food stops, 

 interrupt the monotony. 



"Sometimes, you know the people on 

 radio," says Woolard after getting a call. "You 

 to help one another." 



In Delaware, the refineries in Wilm- 

 ington light up the night sky. Then Woolard 

 stops in a service area for diesel fuel, and 

 Voliva takes over the wheel. 



Voliva says one of the drawbacks of 

 the job is that it is "hard on my family." 



"Sometimes, you are on the road all 

 week and don't go home at all," he says. 



Truck drivers also have to deal with 

 road rage from other drivers. 



"You have to keep an eye on everything 

 and everybody" says Voliva. "I give people 

 plenty of room. Just say 'yes ma'am' and 

 'no ma'am' to yourself. Let them cool off 

 and go about their business." 



Along the New Jersey Turnpike, 

 traffic picks up. As Voliva maneuvers 

 onto the Queens Expressway, he says 

 that a lot of drivers won't drive into 

 New York City. 



"The scariest time is going into 

 New York in the ice and snow," says 

 Volvia." 



The ride gets bumpy when 

 Voliva hits the Goethels, Bayonne 

 and Verranzano bridges. Then 

 the Manhattan skyline, including 

 the Empire State Building and 

 the Chrysler Building, illuminates the sky. He 

 turns into a narrow street near the market. 



After making the trip hundreds of times, 

 Voliva can deal with just about anything. 



"Sometimes, people push you around at 

 the market," he says. "You have to not let them 

 intimidate you. They use hard language, but 

 don't mean no harm." G 



TO BOTTOM: Huge 

 hooks are a common sight — even on 

 shoulders. Buyers arrive early to get their 

 pick of seafood that shimmers under 

 the lights. A variety of seafood from all 

 over the world is sold at the Fulton Fish 

 Market — from flounder to octopus. 



COASTWATCH 11 



